Improvement



LBEMER] Steam Condensers.

Patented June 24, 1873..

JOHN L. Amer can, or BUFFALO, NEW Your.

flmrnovemsnriu sve'niaeconnrnseas.

I Specification forming part of Letters Patent No- 140-232, dated J une 24, 1873; application filed Q January 28, 1873.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, JOHN L. ALBERGER, of

the city of Bufl'alo, inthe county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Steam-Condensers, of which the following is a specification: v

In injection-condensers thewater enters the condensing-vessel witha certain force depend- .ent upon the vacuumj naintained in the condenser, and the height at which the condenser is located above or below the. level from which the injection water is supplied. When the condenser is located below this level, as, for instance, in marine engines, and in industrial establishments using steamin addition I to'water-power, the pressure under which the r injection-water is forced into the condenser is:

greater than necessary for supplying the re- "qnired quantity of water, and the injection pipe has to be contracted in order to prevent I an- .exce'ssive influx of water. The motive... .power contained in theinjection-water is thus spent lnovercomin g 'useless'frictiou, and lost.

The object of one part of my invention is to properly utilize this power; and another partof myinvention relates to certain improvements in the construction of the condenser.

The invention consists, first, in the comhina-- t1on,w1th the air-pump and injectiOncQndenser,

of a steam-engine or other apparatus, in which a vacuum is produced, of a'double-acting hydraulic engine, arranged with the injectionpipe so as to be operated by the inflowing water before it enters the condenser, and connected with the air-pump so as to actuate, or U assist in actuating, the same, whereby the power contained in the injection-water is utilized in removing the hot water and air from the condenser, while the admission and renovaloi water into and from the condenser injection- Water, the pump and two engines being arranged in line and the three pistons thereof connected by a single pistonrod, where by the power received'by the hydraulic engine from the injection-water is directly transmitted to the air-pump, and assists the steam-engine in actuating the same; third, in the conrbina tion, in a condenser, of vertical steam-pipes, rigidly secured at their lower ends in the diaphragm or tube-sheet separating the steam- "space from the water-space, while their upper ends are curved and left open and left free,

so as to enable each pipe to expand and con tract without injury to its connection with the tube-sheet and independent of the other pipes; fourth, in the combination, in a condenser provided with vertical steampipes open at the top, and an injection-pipe delivering the water into the space around said pipes, of a hot-water discharge-pipe, having its orifice at a point belowizhe open. upper ends of the steam-pipes, so as to prevent the injection-water from overflowing into the steamspace; fifth, in the com.

bination, in a condenser provided with vertical steam-pipes and a vertical hot-water dischargepipe,.of a sleeve or tube surrounding thelatter,

so as ,to project above the same, while its lower end is provided with openings, through which the water from the lowest and hottest portion of the water-space passes into the annular space between the sleeve and'the dischargepipe, and ascends therein to the mouth of the latterbefore it can escape; sixth, in the combination, in a condenser having a cold-water jet at the top, of steam-pipes bent over at the topto form escapes, and yet prevent the injection-water from entering the same, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation, and Fig. 2 a plan view of my improved apparatus.

Like letters designate like parts in all of the figures.

G is the air-pump; B, the steam-engine actd ating the same; and A, the auxiliary hydraulic engine, all arranged in line so that a single piston-rod, d, connects the respective pistons thereof. the hydraulic and steam engines, arranged in suitable valve-chests a b, and attached to a valve-rod, c, which is connected by a rock-le ver, h, with a push-rod, e, projecting through the opposite heads of the hydraulic and steam cylinders, so as to be alternately actuated-soy the pistons f andg thereof. The valve inech a and b are the respective valves of a recess valve 'i-"to admitthe injection-water to i he cylinderA. The injccticn-water, after imparting motion to the piston f in passing'through the cylinder A, is discharged into the condenser, -5

anisrn may, however, be constructed inan'yether suitable and well-known manner. I is the injection-pipe, leading from the water-reservoir (in a marine engine, fromthe sea) to the ;to be produced by condensation. the condenser through the bottom plate is, and e .is provided with a deflectin g-plate, 12, arranged above its orifice for more uniformly distributing the steam to the pipes Z. charge-pipe of the air-pump, s the steam-pipe through which steam is supplied to the engine I- B, and t the exhaust-pipe of the latter, com 1 nectingwith the main; exhaust-pipe O. The

valve-chest of the hydraulic engine A. It is provided with a 'stpp-valve, i, and air-vessel,

t".- I is the continuation of the injection-pipe, leading from the exhaus't port of the hydraulic engine A to the condenser. K. The latter consists of a shell or case, preferablycylindri-s real in shape, a bottom plate, k, a diaphragm or tube-sheet, k, arranged above the latter so as to form an intervening steam-space, and a top plate, W. l are the vertical steam-pipes, rigidly secured with theirlower ends in the diaphragm Id, and opening into the chamber below the same. Their upper ends are left free, which allows each pipe to expand and contract without disturbing its connection with the diaphragm k The injection pipe I enters the condenser K through the bottom plate k, pass- ;es tight-lythrough the diaphragm is, and terininates above the steam-pipes! in a suitable rose-jet. In order to prevent the injected water from entering thepipes I through their upper ends, the latter are bent over so as to form a lateral discharge-opening, 1 as shown in Fig. 1; part of the pipes may, however, be entirely closed, as shown at P, Fig. 1. The

pipes l rnay also be protected by a hood or --".plate arranged over their open upper ends, or

by contracting the latter so as to leave a small discharge-opening suflicient only for the escape of the air and uncondensed steam. Mis the hotwater discharge-pipe, leading from the waterspace of the condenser through the diaphragm 7c and bottom plate It to the air-pump U. The

,upper end of the discharge-pipe M is located somewhat below the open upper ends of the steam-pipes l, to prevent the water in the space around said pipes from entering through the top thereof into the steam-space. is the sleeve or tube arranged around the dischargepipe M in the water-spaceml' the condenser, its upper end projecting abcveth water-level,

' while its lower end rests on, the diaphragm k andis provided with openings n,through which the injected water from the lowest and hottest part must pass into and ascend the annular space to the orifice of the discharge-pipe before it can escape. O is the steam-exhaust pipe of the principal steam engine vacuumpan, or other apparatus in which a vacuum is It enters R is the diswater of condensation accumulating on the bottom plate k is conducted by a pipe, 1, to

the boiler feed-pun] p.

Theapparatus is "set in motion by. admitting and fills the space between the steam-pipes 1 until its level reaches the top of the discharge pipe M, when it overflows into the air=pump O, by which it is expelled. The exhausted steam or vapor enters the condenser through the pipe 0, and passes into the pipes l, in which the greater portion thereof is condensed,

while the remainder passes through the open ends I of the pipes Z into the space above the surface of the water, where itis condensed by comminglingwith the injected water. Assumi ing the reservoir from which the injection-water is supplied to be on a level with thc'dis chargeopening ofthe pipe I, the pressure p with which the injecti6n-water acts upon the pistonf must be equal to the vacuum mainengine A, while, when a considerable 'hydro-' static pressure is at command, the steam-emgine B may be entirely dispensed with, andthe air-pump G actuated by the hydraulic en;

- gine A alone' The capacity of the air-pump cylinder exceeds that of the hydraulic cylinder A a little, so as to expel at each stroke as much water from the condenser as is discharged into it from the hydraulic cylinder, and all the air accumulating during that time, whereby a steady water-level is maintained in the apparatus. Should the air-pump be stopped from any cause the hydraulic engine A, and the influx of water into the condenser, will likewise be arrested, whereby the injection-water is prevented from overflowing into the engine.

In steam-engines provided with injectioncondensers', as heretofore constructed, this overflow has occurred, causing greater or less damage, when the injection-cock was not immediate closed upon stopping the engine,

or properly adjusted when redncing'its speed,

which requirements have rendered the employment of injection-condensers objectionable on ferry and other steamboats making frequent stoppages.

In my improved apparatus the above difli culties are entirely obviated. The circulatingpnmp used in connection with .ordinarysurface-condensers is dispensed with in my'improved apparatus, and the steam-pipes l are enabledto be made very light, as they are not exposed to any pressure, the vacuum being on both sides thereof.

Although my improved apparatus is spein e eially designed for steain engines, it is evident.

that it may be used for producing a vacuum in evaporating-pans, drying or other apparatns in which steam is generated, by connecting thesteam-exhanst pipe of thevacnnm-chamher ofis'nch apparatus with the condenser.

I-ciai-m as my inVention-- 1,.The combination, with the air-pump end.

connected by a single piston-rod, d, snhstan tialiy as hereinbefore set forth.

3. The combination, with the condenser K, provided with the diaphragm is, of the steampipes Zrigidly secured to said diaphragm at their lower ends, and left freeat their upper ends, to allow each pipe to expand radially tionfcondenser of asteain-en gine vaennnr and vertically and contract independent :of the others, when said pipes are cnrvedand left open at their upper ends, substantially as hereinbei'ore set forth. I

4. The combination and arrangement, in "a condenser provided with an injection-pipe, I, of the steam-pipes Z and discharge-pipe M, sub" stantiaily as and for thepurpose hereinbeforc set forth.

5. The combination and arrangement-,in an i in jection-condenser provided with stea'nrpipes l and the discharge-pipe M, of the sleeve N surrounding the latter, substantially as and] for ,he purposehereinbetore set forth.

6. Thecemhination, in a condenser, and with the injectienpipe i and discharge-pipe M, ot'

the steam-pipes l,'bent down at their; upper ends, with dischm'g, "e-openiiigs i snbstantiei- 1y as and for the purpose hereinbefore set; forth.

- p JOHN L. r-kLl'iiiitGllitl Witnesses:

J OHN. J BONNER,

EDWARD WILHELM. 

